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Barley-water

A simple barley water made by simmering pearl barley in water until reduced.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Barley-water

Barley-water

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine the barley and water in a saucepan.

  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the liquid reduces to 1⅓ cups.

  3. Strain the mixture.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Pearl barley
Its starch releases into the water, giving the liquid body and a mild grain flavour.

The step that matters

Simmering until the liquid reduces to 1⅓ cups. Reducing concentrates the starch and flavour extracted from the barley. Stopping too early leaves the drink thin and weak, while over-reducing makes it syrupy and strong.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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